Iran knew war was coming since March, former IRGC commander says
Mohsen Rezai, a former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said on Thursday that Tehran had been certain since March that a war was imminent.
"Our response must be deterrent. What has been done so far is not enough, and we will intensify the conflict day by day," Rezai said, according to local media.
He added that all enriched nuclear material had been relocated to secure sites.
A group of people is allegedly attempting to mobilize a number of religious scholars in the holy city of Qom to call for what Iran’s Tasnim news agency described as “a form of surrender and compromise” with Israel.
Tasnim, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the individuals, described as having “questionable backgrounds,” are seeking to act in tandem with Israel’s attacks on Iran.
According to the report, the group fears a strong government backlash and is considering positioning a former official as the public face of their initiative.
“They fear a strong response from the establishment and are therefore seeking to position a former official as the figurehead of this treacherous move — although that official has not yet responded to their approach.”
Tasnim did not name any officials.
A meeting between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a group of senior clerics in Qom (file photo)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed a scheduled meeting tomorrow between European diplomats and Iran as a positive step amid ongoing tensions, a spokesman said on Thursday.
The foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany will meet in Geneva with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric emphasized that “diplomacy is the only and best way forward” to end the Israel-Iran conflict, urging all parties to “stop the military action and avoid at any cost the further internationalization of this conflict.”
The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision within two weeks on whether to launch a military strike on Iran.
Citing a message from Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."
“It is a fact and the United States government maintains this fact that Iran has never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt said when asked whether Trump is relying on US intelligence or intelligence sharing from an ally when he says Iran is very close to a nuclear weapon.
About the possibility of a deal with Iran, she said, "Iran is in a very weak and vulnerable position because of the strikes and the attacks from Israel... And he has been very direct and clear. Iran can and should make a deal. We sent a deal to them that was practical, that was realistic, or they will face grave consequences."
Replying a question about how close Iran is to potentially build a nuclear bomb, the spokeswoman said, "Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader to do that. And it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would, of course, pose an existential threat, not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world."
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran, June 18, 2025.
Air raids continued over Tehran late Thursday, with Iranian media reporting activation of air defense systems in the capital's northern districts.
A video received by Iran International captured the sound of air defense activity in the southern neighborhood of Naziabad.
A resident told Iran International: "They just hit western Tehran—maybe the airport or Chitgar, I don’t know. The sound was terrible, then the air defenses kicked in."
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Thursday that Tehran has so far exercised restraint in the face of regional conflict, warning the United States against further escalation.
"We have shown self-restraint in response to the expansion of war in the region," Ghalibaf said in remarks reported by Iranian media.
Addressing the United States, he added: "The delusional American president should know he cannot impose peace on us through imposed war and threats."
